Clean air to breathe
18/10/23 01:53
Earlier this year there were quite a few stories on the Internet about a potential ban of gas stoves in kitchens in the USA. More than a few of them contained factual errors, including that the Consumer Product Safety Commission was set to ban all gas stoves. People have passion about how they cook and are committed to particular appliances. Gas cook tops are popular among some people because they heat quickly and evenly, making certain cooking chores easier for experienced chefs. While some states, including New York and California, have placed restrictions on the installation of stoves in new construction, there has been no move to remove the appliances from existing homes or to ban the sale of gas appliances.
The thing about the controversy over gas cooking appliances is that issues of air quality and carbon pollution are not new. Scientists have known for a long time about potential health risks associated with cooking with Gas. In a closed environment, cooking with gas releases nitrogen dioxide when burned at high temperatures. While the Environmental Protection Agency has standards for safe exposure to nitrogen dioxide emissions for industrial polluters, there is no standard set for indoor exposure to the gas. There are, however, studies dating back decades that have shown harmful effects from the nitrogen dioxide emitted from gas appliances. The other appliances that emit nitrogen dioxide include gas water heaters and gas furnaces, but these may pose less danger to those who live in houses because of their location within the structure.
Studies have shown that individual homes can be made safe from nitrogen dioxide through the use of ducted fans over cooking appliances. Health experts recommend using a fan whenever using a gas stove and replacing filters every three months. When a ducted range hood is not available, opening a window and using a fan to exhaust room air can also be effective.
I’m not a scientist and I am not an expert in public policy. But I am an observer of culture and I am interested in safety. Earlier this year we decided to replace the gas cooking range in our house with an electric unit with an induction cooktop. There were several factors that influenced our decision. First of all, the gas range that we purchased with our home was an older model in need of significant repairs. The broiler in the oven no longer worked and although the part to repair it was not too expansive, the fact that we have owned electric stoves for most of our time as homeowners and have more experience cooking with them also influenced our decision. The choice, however, was far from simple. Our home was planned for a gas cooking stove. There was no dedicated circuit for an electric range and no plug for one in our kitchen. Installing the new stove required having an electrician install new wiring in our home and using the final remaining place for a new circuit breaker in our electrical panel. We might not have made the same decision were it not for the availability of a rebate provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for part of the costs of wiring and the new stove.
The choice is part of a larger decision-making process. We are intentionally moving toward changing out the gas appliances in our home to electric appliances as part of a move to using solar energy produced by the system we have installed in our home. This will reduce our overall utility bills and help us lower our carbon footprint. As part of the solar panel installation, also made possible in part by tax incentives, we upgraded our electrical panel which will allow for future replacement of our gas water heater and furnace with electric models.
The choices we have made, however, are choices that are available only to a small and very privileged group of the world’s population. We could not use tax incentives if we did not earn enough money to pay federal income taxes. We could not afford the costs of an induction stove and solar panels had we not been able to supplement our retirement income with a temporary job that came easily for us. There are plenty of people for whom what we have done is simply not an option. And when you consider the choices available to many of the world’s people, what we have done is beyond imagination for the majority.
The bottom line is that clean breathing air is a privilege of wealth. Those who suffer the most from air pollution are the ones who are the most impoverished. Those worst hit by unhealthy air are the ones least able to protect themselves or escape pollution.
Delhi, in India, is the world’s second largest megacity and has some of the lowest air quality in the world. A University of Chicago study warned that lives of residents of India’s capital are being shortened by up to 11.9 years compared to if air pollution was reduced to levels recommended by the World Health Organization. In that city thousands of people experience dangerous pollution every time they cook. Residents in the slums of Delhi often cook on traditional chulhas - metal combustion stoves fueled by firewood. Problems with breathing and burning eyes often are caused by the smoke that fills the homes of those people when cooking. Health experts recommend using liquid petroleum gas cooking appliances to reduce indoor air pollution, but LPG cylinders are expensive and out of reach for many residents of certain neighborhoods in Delhi.
A stove as safe as the one we replaced is clearly out of reach of many of this world’s citizens. Being poor results in having fewer options. It is estimated that 2.4 billion people in this world use inefficient fuels such as kerosene, wood, dung, charcoal and coal for preparing food. Although deaths from indoor air pollution are estimated to have declined in recent years, that decline is directly related to limited success in reducing extreme poverty in the world. It is estimated that millions of people continue to die prematurely as the result of indoor air pollution.
Recent studies have shown that there is a relationship between air pollution and the ways human brains work. Chronic long-term health issues include lung and blood stream disorders, cancers, and several different mental illnesses.
It is clear that working towards economic justice is a critical part of addressing the world’s climate crisis. As I try to become more informed and aware, I am continually confronted with the simple truth of the privilege I enjoy that is not available to the majority of the world’s citizens. Cleaning up the air in my own home is only part of my responsibility.
Last night we heard a speaker at our church who stated that greed and selfishness are the leading causes of the world climate crisis. The words ring true and I pray will influence my decision-making in the years to come.
The thing about the controversy over gas cooking appliances is that issues of air quality and carbon pollution are not new. Scientists have known for a long time about potential health risks associated with cooking with Gas. In a closed environment, cooking with gas releases nitrogen dioxide when burned at high temperatures. While the Environmental Protection Agency has standards for safe exposure to nitrogen dioxide emissions for industrial polluters, there is no standard set for indoor exposure to the gas. There are, however, studies dating back decades that have shown harmful effects from the nitrogen dioxide emitted from gas appliances. The other appliances that emit nitrogen dioxide include gas water heaters and gas furnaces, but these may pose less danger to those who live in houses because of their location within the structure.
Studies have shown that individual homes can be made safe from nitrogen dioxide through the use of ducted fans over cooking appliances. Health experts recommend using a fan whenever using a gas stove and replacing filters every three months. When a ducted range hood is not available, opening a window and using a fan to exhaust room air can also be effective.
I’m not a scientist and I am not an expert in public policy. But I am an observer of culture and I am interested in safety. Earlier this year we decided to replace the gas cooking range in our house with an electric unit with an induction cooktop. There were several factors that influenced our decision. First of all, the gas range that we purchased with our home was an older model in need of significant repairs. The broiler in the oven no longer worked and although the part to repair it was not too expansive, the fact that we have owned electric stoves for most of our time as homeowners and have more experience cooking with them also influenced our decision. The choice, however, was far from simple. Our home was planned for a gas cooking stove. There was no dedicated circuit for an electric range and no plug for one in our kitchen. Installing the new stove required having an electrician install new wiring in our home and using the final remaining place for a new circuit breaker in our electrical panel. We might not have made the same decision were it not for the availability of a rebate provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for part of the costs of wiring and the new stove.
The choice is part of a larger decision-making process. We are intentionally moving toward changing out the gas appliances in our home to electric appliances as part of a move to using solar energy produced by the system we have installed in our home. This will reduce our overall utility bills and help us lower our carbon footprint. As part of the solar panel installation, also made possible in part by tax incentives, we upgraded our electrical panel which will allow for future replacement of our gas water heater and furnace with electric models.
The choices we have made, however, are choices that are available only to a small and very privileged group of the world’s population. We could not use tax incentives if we did not earn enough money to pay federal income taxes. We could not afford the costs of an induction stove and solar panels had we not been able to supplement our retirement income with a temporary job that came easily for us. There are plenty of people for whom what we have done is simply not an option. And when you consider the choices available to many of the world’s people, what we have done is beyond imagination for the majority.
The bottom line is that clean breathing air is a privilege of wealth. Those who suffer the most from air pollution are the ones who are the most impoverished. Those worst hit by unhealthy air are the ones least able to protect themselves or escape pollution.
Delhi, in India, is the world’s second largest megacity and has some of the lowest air quality in the world. A University of Chicago study warned that lives of residents of India’s capital are being shortened by up to 11.9 years compared to if air pollution was reduced to levels recommended by the World Health Organization. In that city thousands of people experience dangerous pollution every time they cook. Residents in the slums of Delhi often cook on traditional chulhas - metal combustion stoves fueled by firewood. Problems with breathing and burning eyes often are caused by the smoke that fills the homes of those people when cooking. Health experts recommend using liquid petroleum gas cooking appliances to reduce indoor air pollution, but LPG cylinders are expensive and out of reach for many residents of certain neighborhoods in Delhi.
A stove as safe as the one we replaced is clearly out of reach of many of this world’s citizens. Being poor results in having fewer options. It is estimated that 2.4 billion people in this world use inefficient fuels such as kerosene, wood, dung, charcoal and coal for preparing food. Although deaths from indoor air pollution are estimated to have declined in recent years, that decline is directly related to limited success in reducing extreme poverty in the world. It is estimated that millions of people continue to die prematurely as the result of indoor air pollution.
Recent studies have shown that there is a relationship between air pollution and the ways human brains work. Chronic long-term health issues include lung and blood stream disorders, cancers, and several different mental illnesses.
It is clear that working towards economic justice is a critical part of addressing the world’s climate crisis. As I try to become more informed and aware, I am continually confronted with the simple truth of the privilege I enjoy that is not available to the majority of the world’s citizens. Cleaning up the air in my own home is only part of my responsibility.
Last night we heard a speaker at our church who stated that greed and selfishness are the leading causes of the world climate crisis. The words ring true and I pray will influence my decision-making in the years to come.
